News out of Cyren this week has sent shockwaves through the email and security community. In a move that took our industry by surprise, the provider of inbox security and threat detection solutions has approved a plan to reduce its workforce by approximately 121 employees, representing substantially all of the Company’s workforce according to its own press release.
Simon Forster, CEO of Spamhaus shared: “Cyren has left a number of companies in an incredibly difficult position. I feel for the employees who now have to figure a way out of this mess.”
There are a number of security and anti-spam industry have rallied round to help offer support and practical mitigation at no charge to Cyrens clients, including Abusix, Spamhau, SURBL and MailChannels.
Tobias Knecht the CEO of Abusix saying “It’s unfortunate that a company with that history suddenly ceases to exist and it’s a tough place for their customers and employees. But as the industry has shown over and over again, we are all here to cover the gaps for Cyrens customers and Cyrens employees.”
This sudden and unexpected move may leave 1 billion users globally without the necessary inbox security and protection they were promised in a short time. What’s worse, it appears that there was no prior warning given to their enterprise customers, leaving them with imminent potentially serious holes in their security infrastructure.
“Many of these systems have been in place a long time and it’s going to be hard to just replace things overnight since the effectiveness of their systems will vanish quickly, as it appears Cyren is now unmaintained.” said Raymond Dijkhoorn, co-founder of SURBL.
Cyren stated that, in the absence of additional sources of liquidity, management anticipates that the Company’s existing cash and projected cash flows from operations will not be sufficient to meet the Company’s working capital needs in the near term. They are currently assessing all of their strategic options with the possibility of asset monetization or liquidation.
It is a troubling situation for the security industry, and one that will have long-lasting effects for both their enterprise customers and the 1+ billion users globally. The lack of notice and the suddenness of the announcement has left many feeling betrayed, and looking for answers in an already uncertain market.
Abusix, Spamhaus and SURBL are all offering free use of their tools to Cyren clients in this difficult time, click here for details. SURBL have also stated they have potential vacancies and interested parties should reach out.
4 major issues that enterprise users will likely encounter
1. Reduced efficiency: Enterprise users may find their processes and operations taking much longer than before as they attempt to transition to an alternate solution. This could cause a significant amount of disruption, especially for operations that rely heavily on automated processes. So please read on to hear from 3 vendors ready to come to the rescue to mitigate some of these issues.
2. Cost: Finding an alternate solution may require a significant upfront cost, which could put pressure on budgets and result in a higher-than-expected total cost of ownership. Again, please read on to hear from 3 vendors ready to come to the rescue to mitigate some of these issues.
3. Security: Without the expert threat intelligence services offered by Cyren, enterprise users may have difficulty identifying and responding to security threats in a timely manner. This will lead to a higher risk of cyberattack or data breaches unless alternate vendors are enlisted to fill the gaps At least 3 are offering their services free of charge for a limited time enabling enterprise business and others the opportunity to see if they can mitigate using these alternatives.
4. Support: Without a dedicated team of experts, enterprise users may not receive the same level of support they were accustomed to. This could lead to delays in resolving any technical issues that arise. Rest assured we can help you connect with industry leading experts ready to support you through this difficult transition.
Free service from anti-spam and security services for Cyren clients
Abusix
Abusix is offering its service for free for 60 days for any current customer of Cyren. Sign up for their 14 day trial here (https://abusix.com/free-trial/) once done you can reach out to Abusix directly to have your service enabled for 60 days.
Spamhaus
Spamhaus are offering three months of free data access for existing Cyren customers.
More information on this, and how to sign up to get immediate access to the services, can be found here (https://www.spamhaus.com/resource-center/three-months-free-data-access-for-cyren-customers/). Alternatively, if you’d like to talk through your requirements, Spamhaus can be reached here: https://www.spamhaus.com/#contact-form.
SURBL
Contact the team at SURBL for 60 days access to all solutions to allow you the opportunity to review the rights solutions for your organisation. Also former employees can reach out to discover potential vacancies. More details at surbl.org
MailChannels
The team at MailChannels are offering their content filter free to Cyren customers impacted. Details available here: https://info.mailchannels.com/cyren
Five more email security vendors to consider
This mess will potentially require even more support and paid solutions. Clients of Cyren should also consider solutions from the following vendors to see if they may offer additional mitigation against the issues raised.
